Wooing the Center Remains Important

WSJ ^ | Sept. 2, 2006 | JOHN HARWOOD

[FairOpinion]

From the reigning analysis of President Bush's 2004 re-election victory, and lately from Ned Lamont's defeat of Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic Senate primary, you would conclude that the "base" -- the most ideologically pure wing of each party -- is all that matters. But the pivotal Senate battle unfolding in Tennessee for the seat of retiring Majority Leader Bill Frist shows that isn't so.

Or consider California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's resuscitation of his re-election prospects by moving to the center. His latest accomplishment: pushing through a landmark cap on greenhouse gas emissions through the Golden State legislature.

It is true that Messrs. Ford and Schwarzenegger are outliers -- an African-American Democrat trying to survive in the conservative South, and a Republican running on the Left Coast. Nevertheless, both stand against the hasty conclusion that swing voters no longer matter.

"That's not true," says Terry Nelson, a Bush 2004 strategist who now advises Mr. Schwarzenegger. Though the combination of Mr. Bush's style and the war shrunk the center two years ago, in 2006, "reaching out to the center is important."

[FairOpinion]

Teh moderates may well be the deciding factor, but Republicans need the conservative base to turn out for them, to prevent a Dem takeover of Congress and States, like CA.

[ansel12]

"Or consider California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's resuscitation of his re-election prospects by moving to the center"


I support Arnold for reelection, but that made me laugh, it gives the impression that at some point Arnold was leaning right.

[kingu]

Since virtually every Democrat has wandered so far off the reservation that Democrats are questioning what their party is now, the Republicans are the moderates. Going any further left of the Republican party puts you so far into liberal territory as to be a joke.

There is a percentage that will never vote for someone with an R after their name, and chasing after those votes is viewed as running to the middle. But this is a joke, they're still not going to vote for a Republican.

Arnold's best hopes is to stop playing greenie and get back to the core issues that caused over two thirds of California to vote for a guy with an R after their name. No more taxes, no more handing out money left and right, and get the government out of our lives. It works, over and over again.

[FairOpinion]

Actually Arnold WAS very much leaning right, when he used his political capital to put and promote the conservatives propositions on the special election ballot, and to hold a special election. Those propositions, had they passed would have pulled the rug out from under the Dems; cut union power, give the gov power to cut spending, if the Legislature refuses to do so, and take redistricting out of the hands of the Legislature.

Unfortunately the voters defeated them and left Arnold without the tools he needed to accomplish the CA reforms we need.

[ansel12]

I guess you are right, but as a Cal. voter I never sensed much passion from him on that stuff, after campaigning so well during the recall he never seemed to sell his conservative agenda as aggressively.

[RCFlyer]

Arnold may have successful had he waited for the general election. He rushed into a special election where only those getting stung by his proposals (union-types) were motivated to vote. Too bad. All four proposals were great.

[FairOpinion]

One of the problems was that the unions spent some 150 million dollars on ads, and they started very early. By the time Arnold and the supporters for the props started to advertise, it was too late, most people already had a negative impression of the ads.

Arnold wasn't making that mistake again in this election, he came out swinging, with ads against Angelides, as soon as the Dem primary was over.